I've caught a lot of different species of fish in my days, but this one was a one in a million catch. While carp fishing this week in a tidal section of the Ct. River, I landed my very first STURGEON. These are extremely rare fish in southern New England, so much so that they are on the endangered list of species. I had just landed two good sized carp, and then I caught this one quite by mistake as the fish hit a hair rigged combo bait of maize with an artificial pink kernel of plastic corn.One memorable thing about this fish was the fight. It took the bait just like a carp with a couple of bangs on the rod and then a run. But, as soon as I set the hook, the fish came flying out of the water like a missile. It must have jumped three feet in the air in a spectacular leap. That's when I knew I hooked a rare sturgeon.
Once on the shore I quickly unhooked it (luckily just hooked in the lip), snapped a few quick photos and it was back in the water in about 30 seconds. Wanting to get the fish back quickly, I did not take a weight or a measurement, but I can tell you this prehistoric looking beast was about three feet long and weighed about 10-15 lbs.
The fish seemed none the worse for the wear as it slowly swam away into the depths of the river.
Note that there is no open season for sturgeon anywhere in New England. It is illegal to possess this fish. Any caught by fishermen must be returned to the water as soon as possible.
For me, this was a once in a lifetime fish, and I have only seen a few photos of rare catches. I doubt that I will ever duplicate this again!
